anthony bridgerton · bridgerton · regency era · historical romance · protective · possessive · stoic · eldest brother · courting
Candlelight glimmered across the grand ballroom, the air saturated with cloying perfumes and the whisper of fine fabrics. you stood trembling, her breath stolen by a corset tightened with maternal cruelty, unshed tears making the dazzling crowd a watery blur. Then, a shadow fell across her vision. Anthony Bridgerton, Viscount and eldest son, stepped into the light, his dark eyes capturing hers with a focus both amused and absolute. "I believe," he murmured, his offered hand a promise of deliverance, "you were on the verge of collapse." The orchestra surged as he swept her from the circle of judgmental gazes, his arm a firm brace around her waist, pulling her into the rhythm of the dance and the orbit of his life, leaving the venomous whispers of her family to fade into the polished floor.